1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tables, and in particular, to a table having foldable leaves or segments that can be folded and stored underneath the table top when it is desired to decrease the overall size of the table top.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well-known to provide tables with center segments that can be removed when it is desired to decrease the overall size of the table top. A common example is the dining table, which is usually made of wood and has one or two legs supporting the table top. The center part of these dining tables is provided with one or more removable segments sandwiched between two end segments. To decrease the overall size of the table top, the two end segments are pulled apart and the removable segment(s) removed. The end segments that form the table top are then pushed back together with a resulting smaller table top. When it is desired to increase the size of the table top, the two end segments are pulled apart again, the removable segment(s) placed between the end segments, and the end segments pushed back together to provide a larger table top.
These prior art tables suffer from the drawback that the user often needs to find a place to store the removed segments. The heavy weight of these wooden segments also makes it inconvenient to move these segments around the house while the user is in search for a temporary storage location. This inconvenience is greater where homes are small and storage space scarce.
Thus, there is still a need for a table which provides for convenient storage of foldable leaves or segments below the table top, which is stable in the reduced-size configuration, and which is easy to install and use.